You Do Not Have the Right to Remain Silent
By Arya Sadri
Opinions Editor
Politics. The word alone feels tainted—synonymous with greed, gridlock, and meaningless noise. It’s tempting to wash our hands of it entirely, to roll our eyes and retreat, convinced that nothing ever changes. But here’s the harsh truth: politics doesn’t need your permission to shape your life. Even if you refuse to engage, politics is busy deciding the cost of your groceries, the future of your planet, and the rights of your neighbors. Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.
Let’s face it—not caring is killing us. Not just as individuals but as a society. Sure, we’re brilliant at pointing fingers, spamming our outrage across social media, and putting on a performance at the latest crisis. But when it comes to showing up—when it’s time to step into the messy, unglamorous work of change—we ghost. Why? Because caring is hard. It asks more than a clever hashtag or a fleeting moment of protest. It asks for action.
Politics isn’t about heroics. There’s no caped hero swooping in to solve our housing crisis or reform healthcare. Real solutions come from people—ordinary people—rolling up their sleeves and demanding better. They come from voting not just for yourself but for the single mom working two jobs, for the underfunded schools, for the marginalized voices fighting to be heard. And yes, that means you might have to learn about policies, not just personalities. It might mean reading beyond the headlines and caring about issues that don’t directly affect you.
The real problem? Pretending to doubt the system. “Nothing ever changes,” we say, as if absolving ourselves from responsibility. But how can anything change when the loudest voices are those who benefit from the status quo? Silence isn’t neutrality—it’s giving up. By refusing to engage, we hand the wheel to those who don’t have our best interests at heart.
Young people, in particular, seem stuck in a cycle of performative action. We love a good protest, a viral tweet, a moment of outrage. But where’s the follow-through? Where’s the persistence? Politics isn’t a sprint; it’s a grind. The change you want won’t happen in a day or even a year, but it won’t happen at all unless you care enough to stay in the fight.
So, here’s the challenge: care. Not passively, not performatively—actively. Care about the families struggling to make ends meet.Care about the climate that will shape our future. Care enough to vote, to organize, to push for policies that make a difference. Care enough to demand better from your leaders and, most importantly, from yourself.
The world doesn’t need another protester without a plan or a critic without solutions. It needs makers of change—people willing to do the unsexy, painstaking work of fixing what’s broken. Be one of those people. Be the one who steps up when others tune out. The fight isn’t easy, and it certainly isn’t quick. But change, no matter how small, starts with someone.
Maybe that someone is you.